14 DAY TRIAL // Irving Escobar - the name might not mean much to you, but he's really famous among hackers. This is the boss of the black-hater gang that swiftly stole sensitive data from retail giant TJX. Sure, hackers breach databases daily, but this one has been accounted for the theft of 45.7 million credit card numbers. That is huge! But what makes this hacker even more special is the fact that he didn't steal the info right away, but he stole it in a huge interval without being spotted by the IT department. Like I've always said, it's a pity that such great minds are wasted on crime.
In any case, after being caught, Escobar pleaded guilty to the charge of organized scheme to defraud. But that was in March, now he has already been sentenced, and he got five years and he also has to pay a total sum of $600.000. I don't know how fast he's going to get out of jail (since such criminals get out sooner for good behavior) but that fine is going to ruin him, that's for sure.
Some people say that his punishment is too little for what he has done, but just think of how bad criminal are treated; after all, this guy only defrauded people, it's not like he killed someone. He and his team used the sensitive info they stole from the database to make counterfeit credit cards. After doing that, he simply used them to buy gift cards that he later turned into jewelry and electronic equipment, as NetworkWorld informs. It's a good thing that the Police nabbed this crook and he's now behind bars, but don't rejoice just now: the Internet is full of such criminals. This guy was just a fish in the sea - there is a long hard road to walk, before the Web will finally be a safe place.